Apology for 999 blunder


THE mother-to-be whose emer- gency ambulance transfer to Pembury Hospital was delayed by staff mistakes and confusion has received profuse apologies from the ambulance service. Claire Whittall, of Highridge


Close, Grove Green, said the ambulance took 55 minutes to get from its base in Dover to the Maidstone Hospital birthing unit, where she was in labour, and the driver did not know his way around either Maidstone or Pembury hospital sites. Sue Harris, director of strat-


egy, planning and partnerships, said in a letter the service was


Claire and PhilWhittall at home with baby Madison


“wholly unacceptable”. She admitted errors by both


the emergency call operator and the person responsible for dis- patching ambulances, including


SCARLETT Newman (13), of Kings Hill, who suffers from asthma,has performedthe opening ceremony of the Riverbank Children’s Unit inMaidstone. Scarlett, a regular patient at Maidstone and Tun-


bridgeWells hospitals,was joined for the ceremony by BBC South East TV presenter Polly Evans. the pair are pictured cutting the ribbon. Theunitprovidesanoutpatient clinic,day surgery


and short-stay assessment, so children aged up to 15 can be treated close to their homes. There is a paediatricoutpatient department, six-bed day-case surgical unit and seven-bed assessment unit, as well as a play area. If an overnight stay is necessary, children are


transferred to Pembury Hospital. Clinical director of paediatrics, Dr Charles Unter,


said: “Our relaxed child-friendly environment has been very positivelywelcomed by all visitors.”


“incorrectly categorising a pa- tient with a non-life threatening condition”. She said with a cor- rect diagnosis, the response should have taken less than eight minutes instead of 44 min- utes. She also admitted the Dover ambulance crew had never been to Maidstone or Pembury hos- pitals andwere unfamiliar with the layout of both hospitals. As a result, vehicles will now


have maps of the two hospital sites.


Claire and baby Madison re- covered from the ordeal and both are now well.


Scarlett is guest of honour at opening of unit


Nurses ‘had


poor English’ THE NHS trust is investigating complaintsmade by an 81-year- old Grove Green Royal Navy veteran after his admission to the Maidstone accident unit and John DayWard. He said he could not under-


stand some of the foreign nurses, and said “their command of English was limited”. He said one referred to him in deroga- tory terms and he doubted her ability “as she spent ages looking at prescriptions”. He could not get staff names because he did not see badges. The patient said he was shocked to find that bathing and toilet facilities were mixed sex, and were filthy, with en- crusted dirt beneath toilet rims. He blames his outbreak of di- arrhoea on these conditions. After falling over, he said he


spent 20minutes calling before he was assisted. The blind was down and there was no cord He feels so many patients in


John Day Ward suffer from de- mentia they are not in a posi- tion to make complaints. The trust said it was investi-


gating – but indicated all staff employed had to be able to communicatewith patients and colleagues; cleanliness was monitored “to ensure highest standards”; and it was cur- rently improving and refurbish- ing some areas.


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